Bim from Clear Light of Day

In Anita Desai's Clear Light Of Day, Bimla Das is one of the most complex and important characters of the novel. She is a dissatisfied, but ambitious teacher at a women's college who lives in her childhood home, where she cares for her mentally challenged brother Baba. When her younger sister, Tara, and her husband, Bakul, come to visit Bim in Old Delhi, Bim's family scars, especially those concerning her brother, Raja, are revealed. Clear Light of Day is the depiction of the relationship between the Das family.
Childhood
Growing up, Bim's childhood was not the easiest. She was forced to deal with unaffectionate parents, an aunt that drank, and situations that caused her to have to grow up faster than she should have.
Growing up during the Partition in India, Bim's childhood was corrupted by the fight between Muslims and Hindus.
Old Delhi
During her childhood, the distinction between Old Delhi and New Delhi was not important to the Das children because they were, well children. It was more important to her parents and adults to know the difference between Old Delhi and New Delhi since they were the ones who visited the two places. Bim's love of Old Delhi came from her growing up there and not knowing anything else.
Family
As a child, Bim's relationship with her siblings was better than when they were adults. Her connection with Raja was strong because of their love of poetry and writing. Tara, however, was left out. because Bim's parents were never around, she was forced to grow up faster than she was supposed to. Situations like Raja getting sick, and Bim having to nurse him back to health, led to her having to mature at an early age.
With the arrival of Aunt Mira, Bim had a chance to be a kid. She finally had a mother figure in her life, instead of her having to be one. All was going good, until Aunt Mira developed a drinking problem and went crazy. Again, Bim was the one responsible for caring for her, causing her to have to give up her childhood once more.
As a teenager, she emphatically declares her refusal to marry: “‘I can think of hundreds of things to do instead. I won’t marry. I shall work - I shall do things,’ she went on. ‘I shall earn my own living - and look after Mira-masi and Baba and - be independent. There’ll be so many things to do’.
Adult life
As an adult, Bim still lived in her childhood home. Tara and Raja married, and moved away leaving Bim to care for Baba in Old Delhi. She took over the household, but never married. Her job was teaching history at a women's college
Accomplishments
Bim was an ambitious history teacher at a women's college. *She worked her students so hard, she was known around the school as one of the best teachers*. *She was well known around her community because of the amount of money she seemed to have*. Although she made just enough to cover the payment of the house, her spending on books and the business her father left when he died, gave the appearance that she was well off to those that did not know her closely.
Family
Bim was the more assertive and strong-willed sister during the childhood years, yet she never moves out of their childhood house. As an adult she becomes responsible for taking care of Baba, essentially becoming a mother figure to him. Bim resents the fact that Raja and Tara got to leave and lead new lives, while she had to stay back and watch Baba, even though she said it was her choice.
Bim's relationship with Raja and Tara is completely different than from when they were kids. She resents Raja from marrying a Muslim, so their relationship became strained when he moved away with his wife and her family. If that wasn't enough, Raja married their old landlord's daughter, giving Bim the feeling that Raja had superiority over her.
Her relationship with Tara was not as bad. Tara visited Bim every few years, so they kept their bond as sisters throughout their life. Bim felt betrayed that Raja and Tara both left her, after everything she did for them when they were growing up.
Bim has no plans of a having a family of her own. To her, Baba and her pets are enough family. *As she was growing up, her love for pets came from the time when she had no one to play with. Animals were always there to comfort her when she got lonely, so her love for them never died*.
Because of the horrible examples of marriage she grew up with, Bim never became interested in marriage. This feeling of disinterest was fueled by the fact that the acceptable social thing to do was get married. Being the rebel that she was, it was even greater satisfaction to her to be able to go against social order.
However, Bim is a paradoxical character because of the fact that she longs for, and declares, her independence, but her responsibility of taking care of Baba, causes her to lose her independence. Bim is complex and paradoxical; she is not fully traditional or modern, and not entirely domestic nor entirely professional
Indian culture
Music
No matter how annoying it was, growing up and living with Baba's gramophone constantly playing, *created a love of music for Bim*.
Fun Fact: Bollywood is the term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry. Bollywood is more properly referred to as Hindi cinema.
Family values
For the Hindu family, extended family and kinship ties are of utmost importance. In India, families adhere to a patriarchal ideology and endorse traditional gender role preferences. The Indian family is considered strong, stable, close, resilient, and enduring. Historically, the traditional, ideal and desired family in India is the joint family living together in the same household. Members eat the food cooked at one hearth, share a common income, common property, are related to one another through kinship ties, and worship the same idols. The family supports the old; takes care of widows, never-married adults, and the disabled; assists during periods of unemployment; and provides security and a sense of support. The joint family has always been the preferred family type in the Indian culture, and most Indians at some point in their lives have participated in joint family living.
Clothes
Women:
The traditional Indian clothing for women is the Sari. A choli is worn over a sari, which is a blouse that ends just below the bust. Salwar kameej: Salwars are loose trousers like pants drawn tightly to the waist and the ankles. Over the salwar, they wear long and loose clothing known as a kameej.
Men:
Sherwani: coat like garment. Lungi: long length of material worn around the thighs like a sarong. Kurta-pyjama: Kurta is a knee length shirt, which is worn, mostly by elderly people.

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